Consider two vastly different kinds of information. The first kind is collected by experimental psychologists today in a laboratory. The second kind of information is recorded in the Bible, Hindu Upanishads and the Analects of Confucius.

Data is defined as information and facts that are collected and (usually) organized in some fashion. So both the psychologist's experimental records and scripture are forms of data: yet they are vastly different.

We know how experimental data is used in science, but how do scientists make use of the writings of the wisdom traditions represented in the Bible, Analects, and other sources? Read More

When President Obama delivered his inaugural address earlier this year, it came under the scrutiny of psychologists interested in better understanding the new President's motivational profile. The results of one such examination have recently been released, and I will cover the findings in this two-part posting.

This first post describes the specific motives of a president that are most often studied, and explains how those motives are assessed at a distance. 

The second post, scheduled for Monday May 4th, will examine some recent analyses specifically about President Obama's motivational profile. Read More

Snarky comments label someone in a knowing, snide, dismissive way.  David Denby argues in his recent book, Snark, that such comments arise at times when large groups of people, such as bloggers, are newly empowered to write and speak, and when such writing becomes a means to social influence and authority.

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Judging oneself and others is a creative enterprise: How does one get it right?  Confucius is described many times in the Analects, and he provides an example of a self-description that, in its artistry, may appeal to some. 

Whereas creativity in the West often emphasizes the new and the novel, creativity in the Confucian tradition often emphasizes the authenticity of the artist and the ability to "warm up" the old.

In some forms of Chinese painting, for example, each brush stroke is considered brand new and is not to be corrected by a second stroke.  The painter's focus is on authentically capturing the mood or essence elicited by a scene.

This same aesthetic can be applied to describing people.  I have been examining how people judge one another within the Confucian tradition so as to learn more about the different ways of judging personality -- and judging oneself. Read More